Today, digital music service Recochoku revealed its year end charts for this year. The best selling song of 2015 is Sandaime J Soul Brothers’ “R.Y.U.S.E.I.” The group is also the best selling artist of this year.
The best selling album is DREAMS COME TRUE’s “DREAMS COME TRUE THE BEST! Watashi no Dorikamu.” The best selling new artist is Kumamushi. The best selling Western song is Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”
Check out the rest of the rankings after the jump!
Today, Maki Goto announced on her blog that she has given birth to her first child. She gave birth to her daughter at 4:31 PM on December 7. Both mother and daughter are doing fine. She described her child as “a true treasure that has greatly moved her.” She promised to be the best mother she can be for the happiness of her child.
This is the first child for Maki and her non-celebrity husband. The couple married last year.
Check out a picture of Maki and her baby after the jump!
Kanjani8’s Shibutani Subaru will be releasing his first cover album titled “Uta” next year on February 10. The solo album will be challenging different sides of the Johnnys idol. It will consists of covers selected from hit songs in the 1970’s through the present. “I want to convey these Japanese masterpieces in my own interpretation, and resonate with people of various ages”.
Female singers such as Utada Hikaru and Matsuda Seiko were also also chosen. Check out the rest of the songs and artists to be covered in “Uta” below.
Hello Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw THE Sharehappi from Sandaime J Soul Brothers win against EXO and miwa. THE Sharehappi from Sandaime J Soul Brothers is back again this week, along with 2 newcomers. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the physical and digital charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!
A few weeks ago, FAKY debuted their new lineup and released 3 new songs to streaming services. One of those songs, “Afterglow”, now has a music video. The clip is shot in a POV style. The viewer sees the video through the eyes of a woman who becomes a fan of FAKY, but then takes things to frightening extremes. Her stanning of FAKY becomes the point of her existence, affecting not only her, but those around her as well. Check out the cautionary tale after the jump!
The Japan Times recently started its series of year end articles on the current music scene. The previous articles in this series are Patrick St. Michel’s Namie Amuro piece and mine on Sandaime J Soul Brothers. This week, Ryotaro Aoki wrote about Gesu no Kiwami Otome.
Gesu no Kiwami Otome. had an amazing year. The band formed on a whim in 2012, debuted in 2013, made their major label debut in 2014, and is ending the year by debuting at Kohaku Uta Gassen. The band’s blend of rock, pop, and funk has helped catapult them into the mainstream this year, as have a number of commercial tie-ins for brands such as Coca Cola and Toyota. The success of this year allowed Gesu no Kiwami Otome. to embark on their first arena tour.
On February 11 at NHK Hall, the Recording Industry Association of Japan will hold the second edition of its “Coming Next” concert. This event will feature 18 new acts from 18 different labels that the RIAJ thinks have the chance to be the next big thing. A lottery will be held to see who from the public can have one of the 2000 tickets to this event. Check out the 18 new acts after the jump!
This week’s episode of music show NHK SONGS was dedicated to the work of long-running pop/rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN, who also made their first appearance on the program.
Over the course of the half-hour long episode the band gave several short interviews regarding their history together and played a selection of four songs from across their career live in the studio.
Read on below for a chance to watch the full SONGS episode at your leisure.